Dallas-Bound Southwest Flight Forced to Land in Albuquerque After Plane Fills With Smoke

A Phoenix-to-Dallas Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing in New Mexico late Sunday night after the plane's cabin began to fill with smoke. The Albuquerque Fire Department took two people to the hospital with minor injuries after 140 people were forced to either slide down the plane's emergency slides or jump from the plane's wing.

One of those 140 passengers was Maj. Max Geron of the Dallas Police Department, anObserver contributor. Proving again that he's one of Dallas' best follows on Twitter, Geron documented his experience on the flight, all the way through his 3 a.m. arrival at Love Field. As usual, Geron, formerly a public information officer for DPD, kept everyone informed. In the process, he picked up some new Twitter followers and fielded plenty of questions from a concerned community in Dallas.

According to a statement from Southwest, flight 3562's crew decided to make an emergency landing after smelling an unusual odor in the cabin. The captain told air traffic controllers about the emergency, and a runway was cleared for the plane to land and the passengers to get off. Five passengers, including the two who went to the hospital, received medical treatment at the scene. The plane will remain in Albuquerque for inspection before it makes additional flights, the airline said.

Stephen Young has written about Dallas news for the Observer since 2014. He's a Dallas native and a graduate of the University of North Texas.